1. Field
Embodiments relate generally to geographic information systems.
2. Background
A geographic information system (GIS) is a system for archiving, retrieving, displaying or manipulating data indexed according to the data elements' geographic coordinates. The data elements may be a variety of data types such as, for example, satellite imagery, maps, models of buildings and terrain, and other geographic features. Further, data elements may include geo-located photographs of real world scenes corresponding to various geographic locations. For example, the geo-located photographs may correspond to a network of streets of a major metropolitan city. Such photographs may also include panoramic images. The photographs may then be rendered to a display using a substantially spherical model of the Earth.
However, the use of the spherical model to render the photographs permit the photographs to be viewed from only one position. This is particularly due to a lack of three-dimensional information associated with the photographs. Further, GIS data cannot be incorporated for purposes of transitioning from one photograph to the next as the substantially spherical model does not correspond to the actual geometry of the Earth.